Moore’s Law at 50: At Least A Decade More To Go And Why That’s Important

Gordon Moore, now 86, is still spry and still given to the dry sense of humor for which he has always been known. In an Intel interview this year he said that he had Googled “Moore’s Law” and “Murphy’s Law,” and Moore’s beat Murphy’s by two to one,” demonstrating how ubiquitous is the usage of Dr. Moore’s observation. This week we are commemorating the 50th anniversary of the April 19, 1965 issue of Electronics magazine, in which Dr. Moore first described his vision of doubling the number of transistors on a chip every year or so.

It may seem geeky to be interested in the details of 14 nanometer (billionth of a meter) integrated circuit design rules, 7 nanometer FinFET (transistor) widths, or 5 nanometer line wire widths, but the fact of matter is that these arcane topics are driving the future of technology applications, telecommunications, business and economic productivity. As just one example, this week’s top telecommunications business news is the proposed merger of Nokia and Alcatel-Lucent, with the vision to deploy a 5 G (fifth generation) LTE (long term evolution) mobile telephony network. Building out such a high speed voice and data network is almost entirely dependent on the power of the microprocessors in the system and ultimately Moore’s Law. Nokia apparently believes that it can deploy this technology sooner rather than later and essentially leap frog the competition. My UBC Management students will recall that in my first university teaching experience in Industry Analysis, I chose to expose them to the semiconductor industry for this exact reason. Semiconductors are in virtually every electrical device we use on a daily basis.

However, as we cross this milestone we are able to see that we are near the limits of the physics of Moore’s Law. International Business Strategies, a Los Gatos based consulting firm, estimates that only a decade ago, it cost only $16 million to design and test a new very large scale integated circuit (VLSI), but that today the design and testing cost has skyrocketed to $132 million. Keep in mind that the cost of design, fabrication and testing of bleeding edge IC’s has been reduced dramatically over the decades by automation, also driven by Moore’s Law. So we are seeing a horizon line. That said, entirely new technologies are already in the laboratories and may, in a way, extend Moore’s Law, and the dramatic improvements in cost and productivity that come with it, but through entirely new and different means.

13 Best Tech Companies For Internships, According to Their Interns

No part of the tech job market is more insane than the fight for interns. A few of my UBC Faculty of Management students have recently been very fortunate to land internship jobs with excellent high tech firms based both in Silicon Valley and in the Lower Mainland. The more industrious and resourceful UBC students should use these network connections to compete for their dream internship or first job.

The 13 Best Tech Companies For Internships, According To Their

Interns

JULIE BORT

Reblogged from the Business Insider

Cisco interns

Cisco : Cisco interns

No part of the tech job market is more insane than the fight for interns. A few of my UBC Faculty of Management students have recently been very fortunate to land internship jobs with excellent high tech firms based both in Silicon Valley and in the Lower Mainland. The more industrious and resourceful UBC students should use these network connections to compete for their dream internship or first job.

The list includes: AMD, Blackberry (believe it or not), Cisco Systems, Facebook, Google, IBM Canada, and Intel. I would add three more with a major presence in the Lower Mainland: Hootsuite, PMC-Sierra and Samsung

Companies are looking to snap up brilliant young college grads before their competitors do. Interns are looking for the right combination of training and fun.That leads companies to shower their interns with money, perks and challenging projects.Some 4,700 U.S. companies are looking for interns today, but not all internships are created equally, according to job-hunting site Glassdoor. Glassdoor just published its annual list of the 25 best companies for interns and, not surprisingly, the list was dominated by tech companies.Glassdoor, which rates companies based on feedback from employees, looked at the feedback interns gave on 20,000 U.S. companies to come up with this list.

My New “In Focus” Profile

David Mayes is an advocate for change. However, he is not just someone who shouts slogans from the sidelines, but has actually rolled up his sleeves to see change happen. Whether it is working with coalitions to influence global policies or teaching the next generation, David has had a chance to make a difference for the future. He currently teaches Entrepreneurship at UBCO where he has brought his experiences working in Silicon Valley to bear. He is known for being down to earth, easy to talk to and very friendly. Today David Mayes is In Focus.

Read more: In Focus.

In Focus posted October 8 2013

In Focus | David Mayes

Where do you work?
Faculty of Management, University of British Columbia

How do people connect with you on Linkedin?
ca.linkedin.com/in/mayo615

What is your Twitter account?
@mayo615

What do you always find yourself saying?
The harder I work, the luckier I get

If you could spend one whole day with anyone in the world who is currently alive, who would you select?
Vandana Shiva, Indian environmentalist

If you were to receive any existing public award, what award would you like to win?
Online News Association Award for Investigative Journalism

If you could spend a day with any historical figure, who would you choose?
George Orwell

Who inspires you?
David Suzuki, a kindred spirit

What are 3 things on your bucket list?
Flying a P-51 Mustang, spending serious time in India, and sailing the Pacific Cup race from San Francisco to Hawaii.

If you had an enormous yacht, what would you name it?
Existentialship

If you could foresee a single day of your future in its entirety, what date would you select?
Any Saturday

What are you passionate about?
Gaia, economic empowerment for those needing “a hand up” not a “hand out”, teaching and learning

What has been your favourite day of your life, up to this point?
With my wife Isabelle in her birthplace, the village of Valensole in Haute Provence.

What has been your proudest accomplishment?
Being thrust into the extraordinary role of leading a coalition of high tech execs from Compaq/HP, Intel and Microsoft to create a global standard for broadband Internet access, with the International Telecommunications Union in Geneva. Whew!

If you were trapped in an elevator with several wealthy investors from any field, which field would you want them to be experts in? What would say to them/talk about?
I would want the investors to be Vinod Khosla of Khosla Ventures, John Doerr of Kleiner Perkins Caufield Byers (KPCB), Steve Saltzman of Intel Capital, Mike Satterfield of Yaletown Ventures, and Rolf Dekleer of Growthworks Capital, Ltd. All of these guys are experts in clean technologies, and renewable energy.

I would want to talk with them about pursuing BIG IDEAS, cultivating private equity venture capital ideas that will solve our major global problems, not more Web apps.

Where is your favourite place to dine in Kelowna?
Bouchon

What is your favourite activity in Kelowna?
Myra Canyon

Where do you see yourself in 10 years time?
My goal in ten years or less is to retire to a modest villa in Haute Provence near my wife’s birthplace, joining other well-known American expats in the south of France, taking pot shots at American politics, and climate change deniers.

What are your favorite books or the top books that have most influenced your life?
Many of Paul Theroux’s travel books fueled my love of foreign travel. Michael Lewis is a big favorite, author of Moneyball, and many important books on the financial meltdown. Lewis’ first book, Liar’s Poker, about his experience in the mortgage securities business at Solomon Brothers in London in the mid 1980’s, reads like Animal House, and was a true to life early warning of the financial catastrophe to come twenty years later. John Le Carre’s spy novels.

What do you value most in people? Friends?
Personal integrity, trustworthiness, and a devious sense of humor to compliment my own.

Tell us about a defining moment in your life.
At university one day, sitting on the grass on the commons, I realized that I no longer cared what other people thought about me. I cared only about what I thought. This was a major break with my adolescence, and defining moment that some people never achieve.

What makes you successful? Tell us about it.
People skills. I think interpersonal communication and public speaking skills, essentially selling myself, are the most important factors in my success. My best example of this, is of receiving a call from a friend to help his company with an Internet connectivity idea. Simply through my networking and people skills, it quickly mushroomed into a global consortium of high tech companies that solved the problem. That said, I am probably like many in business who have effective people skills, but are also a bit introverted.

If I could change 1 thing about Kelowna, it would be:
I would like to change the utter vacuum and absence of a comprehensive vision for the economic future of Kelowna. Despite years of frustrating community meetings and planning the community has failed to articulate an economic vision for itself beyond gated communities and minimum wage seasonal tourism jobs. Some in the community seem to prefer doing nothing at all.

What do you think makes Kelowna great?
The geography here, its challenges, limitations and its unrealized potential.

My choice for the Kelowna In Focus spotlight is:
Keith Culver, Director of the Okanagan Sustainability Institute at UBC Okanagan

Some general comments I would like to share are:
I parachuted into the Okanagan a few years ago from the San Francisco Bay Area. It has been an eye opening adjustment.

In Focus is our gift to the community. A way for us to help show our recognition for the people, businesses and organizations that help make our city great. The team at WelcometoKelowna.com is passionate about this community and the people that make it amazing. We want to show our friends, neighbours, family and colleagues that we notice them and the fabulous things that they do. We encourage you to leave your comments and words of support below, and submit your own nomination by clicking HERE. You are also welcome to submit a form of your own by clicking HERE. Thank you, Kelowna!

Stanford B School Guest Lecturer Tony Seba, October 10th, 2:30PM EME 2181

Stanford Graduate School of Business Lecturer in Entrepreneurship, Tony Seba, will be our MGMT 450 Guest Lecturer, Thursday, October 10th, at 2:30PM in EME 2181, speaking on “Entrepreneurship Opportunities in Clean Tech.” Tony Seba is also an entrepreneur, author, speaker, executive, management consultant and business architect. Tony will be appearing via live video conference from Stanford University to the MGMT 450 classroom.

Stanford Graduate School of Business Lecturer in Entrepreneurship, Tony Seba, will be our MGMT 450 Guest Lecturer, Thursday, October 10th, at 2:30PM in EME 2181, speaking on “Entrepreneurship Opportunities in Clean Tech.” Tony Seba is also an entrepreneur, author, speaker, executive, management consultant and business architect. Tony will be appearing via live video conference from Stanford University to the MGMT 450 classroom.

Tony Seba: Clean Energy, Economics and Entrepreneurship

May 24th, 2013

Tony Seba is the author of “Solar Trillions – 7 Market and Investment Opportunities in the Emerging Clean-Energy Economy” and “Winner Takes All – 9 Fundamental Rules of High Tech Strategy“. He is a lecturer in entrepreneurship at Stanford University where he teaches entrepreneurship, disruption, and clean energy. He has created and taught the following courses: “Understanding and Leading Market Disruption”, “Clean Energy – Market and Investment Opportunities“, “Strategic Marketing of High Tech and Cleantech“, “Finance for Marketing, Engineers, and Entrepreneurs“. and “Business and Revenue Models Innovation“, He teaches at top business school around the world such as The Auckland University (New Zealand) Business School. and in-company at some of the world’s top high tech companies such as Google, Inc..

Tony Seba brings 20+ years of solid operating experience in fast-growth high tech and clean tech companies. He was Vice President, Corporate Development at “Utility Scale Solar, Inc.” where he helped the company grow from the garage-stage through growth strategy, fundraising, business development with plant developers and partners. He was previously founder and CEO of PrintNation.com a B2B ecommerce site which he established as the undisputed leader in its market segment, winning such top industry awards as the Upside Hot 100 and the Forbes.com B2B ‘Best of the Web’. Seba led two venture capital rounds raising more than $31 million in funding from well-known venture funds, hired a complete management team, 100+ employees, and managed the development of strategic partnerships with some of the world’s top companies.

Prior to PrintNation, Mr. Seba worked in business development and strategic planning at Cisco Systems and RSA Data Security. Seba has been responsible for the architecture, development, and commercialization of more than two dozen products including Java security, electronic payment technology, sales force automation, computer-aided software engineering and ecommerce infrastructure.

Seba speaks frequently at clean energy, clean tech, entrepreneurship and high tech conferences and company events. He has been featured inComputerWorld, Business Week, Investors Business Daily, Forbes, Fast Company, Success and other media and holds entrepreneurship awards such as BridgeGate’s Top 20 Difference-makers.

Seba is a Global Cleantech Advisor at Global Technology and Innovation Partners, and is on the advisory boards of Medifirst Systems, and Stanford Society for Entrepreneurship in Latin America. He has recently been on the Board of Directors of the Stanford Alumni Consulting Team and the San Francisco Jazz Organization. He has worked on ACT projects for organizations such as Stanford Office of Technology Licensing, Yerba Buena Center for The Arts and Girls Scouts USA.

Tony Seba holds an M.B.A. from Stanford University Graduate School of Business and a B.S. in Computer Science and Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Engineer to Entrepreneur

At the request of Professor Ray Taheri of the UBC Engineering Faculty, I gave this guest lecture to all 4th year engineering students in ENGR 499 Capstone Project. From my background in entrepreneurial mentorship and entrepreneurial finance, I focused on the unique challenges engineers face in considering starting and developing a new venture. I discuss the full range of issues, but my personal emphasis, from experience, is the “character” issue. Some excellent engineers have successfully made the transition to entrepreneurship and executive management, but for others the odyssey is a bridge too far. Consequently, I place significant emphasis on honest self-analysis and appreciation of one’s strengths and weaknesses. Listening is a priceless skill.

At the request of Professor Ray Taheri of the UBC Engineering Faculty, I gave this guest lecture to all 4th year engineering students in ENGR 499 Capstone Project. From my background in teaching management and entrepreneurial mentorship, I focused on the unique challenges engineers face in considering starting and developing a new venture. I discuss the full range of issues, but my personal emphasis, from experience, is the “character” issue. Some excellent engineers have successfully made the transition to entrepreneurship and executive management, but for others, the odyssey is a bridge too far. Consequently, I place significant emphasis on honest self-analysis and appreciation of one’s strengths and weaknesses. Listening is a priceless skill. If you have experienced Larry Page, he is an excellent example of an engineer who has very successfully transitioned into a senior management role. Sergei, on the other hand, opted for a CTO-like role, which I think was the right choice for him.

Engineer to Entrepreneur from David Mayes

Engineer to Entrepreneur Presentation Transcript

3. Engineer to Entrepreneur Engineering 499 Capstone Project, Winter 2013 David Mayes Lecturer, Faculty of Management ©David Mayes 3
5. ENGR 499, Engineering Capstone Project Instructor Introduction David Mayes: UBC Faculty of Management LinkedIn Profile: http://www.linkedin.com/in/mayo615 UBC Office: EME 4151 (250) 807-9821 / Hours by appt. Email: david.mayes@ubc.ca Mobile: (250) 864-9552 Twitter: @mayo615 Experience: Executive management, access to venture capital, International business development, sales & marketing, entrepreneurial mentorship, technology assessment, strategic planning, renewable energytechnology. Intel Corporation (US/Europe/Japan), 01 Computers Group (UK) Ltd, Mobile Data International (Canada/Intl.), Silicon Graphics (US), Sun Microsystems (US), Ascend Communications (US/Intl.), P-Cube (US/Israel/Intl.), Global Internet Group LLP (US/Intl.), New Zealand Trade & Enterprise. ©David Mayes 5
6. Agenda • Engineer to Entrepreneur: • Common Business Misperceptions • What is Entrepreneurship? • The need for Competitive Advantage • UBC Library “entrepreneurship”resources • UBC Small Business Accelerator ENGR 499, Engineering Capstone Project, Winter 2013 Engineer to Entrepreneur ©David Mayes 6
8. ENGR 499, Engineering Capstone Project Engineer to Entrepreneur: Common Misperceptions Misconception # 1: “Everybody Loves “Cool New Technology” • Not exactly! • Assess commercial viability first! • Listen to potential customers • Validate with third party market research ©David Mayes 8
9. ENGR 499, Engineering Capstone Project Engineer to Entrepreneur: Common Misperceptions Misconception # 2: “I need to go-it-alone to insure quality & design elegance” • Working alone or only with other engineers sounds good, but… • You need a team with diverse skills to build a thriving business • Think “business management” from the outset ©David Mayes 9
10. ENGR 499, Engineering Capstone Project Engineer to Entrepreneur: Common Misperceptions Misconception # 3: “Marketing is fluff and selling is black magic” • If you build it, they will NOT necessarily come! • In reality, many “best designs” lose to competitors with better marketing • Intel 8086 was a “DOG!” ©David Mayes b
11. ENGR 499, Engineering Capstone Project Engineer to Entrepreneur: Common Misperceptions Misconception # 3: “Marketing is fluff and selling is black magic*” *UBCO Library ©David Mayes 11 Davidow, William, (1986); Marketing High Technology: An Insider’s View, New York, The Free Press
12. ENGR 499, Engineering Capstone Project Engineer to Entrepreneur: Common Misperceptions Misconception # 4: “We need to maximize functionality before we focus on customers” • You can’t engineer the right functionality UNTIL you focus on listening to customers • Customers will buy only the functionality they need and want…nothing more ©David Mayes 13
13. ENGR 499, Engineering Capstone Project Engineer to Entrepreneur: Common Misperceptions Misconception # 5: “A good engineer hates unpredictability and risk” • A good entrepreneur embraces risk • Engineer driven solutions are often too little, too late…if they ever ship! • Managing risk is good; trying to eliminate risk is bad ©David Mayes 13
14. ENGR 499, Engineering Capstone Project Engineer to Entrepreneur: Common Misperceptions Misconception # 6: “We can’t worry about making money until we get it built” • If you can’t make money, it isn’t a business • Business and market constraints are key determinants of “getting it right” • Getting it right at the wrong cost = failure ©David Mayes 14
15. ENGR 499, Engineering Capstone Project Engineer to Entrepreneur: Common Misperceptions Misconception # 7 “Outside financing causes loss of control and undue pressure to deliver” • Funding turbocharges a startup company • “Smart money” adds management value • Canadian gov’t grants focus on pure R&D • “Grantsmanship” is bad business strategy • Angels and VC’s focus on making money ©David Mayes 15
16. ENGR 499, Engineering Capstone Project Engineer to Entrepreneur Suggested Reading* Uppuluri, Krishna (2011), Engineer to Entrepreneur, The First Flight, self-published, Krishna Uppuluri * UBCO Library ©David Mayes 16
17. Agenda • Engineer to Entrepreneur: • Common Business Misperceptions • What is Entrepreneurship? • The need for Competitive Advantage • UBC Library “entrepreneurship”resources • UBC Small Business Accelerator ENGR 499, Engineering Capstone Project, Winter 2013 Engineer to Entrepreneur ©David Mayes 17
19. ENGR 499, Engineering Capstone Project What is Entrepreneurship? Entrepreneurial Opportunity • An economically attractive and timely opportunity that creates value. • The best opportunities exists only for the entrepreneur who has the interest, resources, and capabilities required to succeed. ©David Mayes 19
20. ENGR 499, Engineering Capstone Project What is Entrepreneurship? The First Consideration: Your “Character” • Self-analysis: Do you have what it takes to be an entrepreneur? • Discuss your personality, capabilities, strengths and weaknesses with a mentor who knows you. • Listen! • Are you a visionary leader? • What about the chemistry with your team? • Investors will focus on three things: • “The team, the team, and the team.” ©David Mayes 20
22. Drawbacks of Entrepreneurship • Hard work – Finding new customers and markets – Frustrations with financing, government, tax, technology, and employment issues • Long hours – 20% work more than 60 hours per week • Emotional loneliness • Strong possibility of failure • Disruptions to personal life ©David Mayes 22 ENGR 499, Engineering Capstone Project What is Entrepreneurship?
23. Causes of Business Failure • Lack of managerial and financial abilities • Fail to adapt to competitive environment • A broad based study found the following: – 32% inadequate research and development – 23% lacked competitive advantage – 14% uncontrolled costs – 13% poorly developed marketing strategies – 10% poor market timing – 8% succumbed to competitor activities ©David Mayes 23 ENGR 499, Engineering Capstone Project What is Entrepreneurship?
24. Characteristics of Artisan Entrepreneurs • A person with primarily technical skills and little business knowledge: – Paternalistic approach – Reluctance to delegate – Narrow view of strategy – Personal sales effort – Short planning horizon – Simple record keeping ©David Mayes 24 ENGR 499, Engineering Capstone Project What is Entrepreneurship?
25. Characteristics of Opportunistic Entrepreneurs • A person with both business skills and technical knowledge: – Scientific approach to problems – Willing to delegate – Broad view of strategy – Diversified marketing approach – Longer planning horizon – Sophisticated accounting and financial control ©David Mayes 25 ENGR 499, Engineering Capstone Project What is Entrepreneurship?
26. Four Routes to Entrepreneurship Entering a family business Opening a franchised business Starting a new business Buying an existing business ©David Mayes 26 ENGR 499, Engineering Capstone Project What is Entrepreneurship?
27. Agenda • Engineer to Entrepreneur: • Common Business Misperceptions • What is Entrepreneurship? • The need for Competitive Advantage • UBC Library “entrepreneurship”resources • UBC Small Business Accelerator ENGR 499, Engineering Capstone Project, Winter 2013 Engineer to Entrepreneur ©David Mayes 27
29. ENGR 499, Engineering Capstone Project The Need for Competitive Advantage Creating a New Business Entrepreneurs may start a new business from scratch due to several reasons: • A new product or service • Favourable conditions such as location, equipment, employees, suppliers or bankers • To capitalize on competitors’ weaknesses ©David Mayes 29
30. ENGR 499, Engineering Capstone Project The Need for Competitive Advantage Evaluative Criteria – Market Factors ©David Mayes 30
31. ENGR 499, Engineering Capstone Project The Need for Competitive Advantage Evaluative Criteria – Competitive Advantage ©David Mayes 31
32. HMKNT 401, Introduction of Entrepreneurship The Need for Competitive Advantage Evaluative Criteria – Economics ©David Mayes 32
33. ENGR 499, Engineering Capstone Project The Need for Competitive Advantage Types of Ideas That Evolve Into Start-ups ©David Mayes 33
34. HMKNT, Introduction to Entrepreneurship The Need for Competitive Advantage Competitive Advantage • A firm offers a product or service that is perceived by customers to be superior to those of competitors, thereby promoting firm profitability • To establish competitive advantage, a business owner needs to understand the nature of the environment – External – what business potentials exist – Internal – what the firm is able to do ©David Mayes 34
35. ENGR 499, Engineering Capstone Project The Need for Competitive Advantage Sustaining Competitive Advantage • An established, value-creating industry position that is likely to endure over time • Markets are dynamic and in constant flux • Results include superior profitability, increased market share, and improved customer satisfaction ©David Mayes 35
36. ENGR 499, Engineering Capstone Project The Need for Competitive Advantage Assessing the Environment • The Macroenvironment – A broad environment with its multiple factors that affect most businesses in a society • STEEP – Sociocultural, Technological, Economic, Environmental, Political/Legal • Industry Environment – The combined forces that directly impact a given firm and its competitors ©David Mayes 36
37. ENGR 499, Engineering Capstone Project The Need for Competitive Advantage Strategies That Capture Opportunities • Broad-Based Strategy Options –Seek an advantage in cost or marketing • Cost-Advantage Strategy and Options Requires the firm to be the lowest-cost producer » WestJet began as a low-fare, no-frills airline • Marketing-Advantage Strategy Emphasizing the uniqueness of the firm’s product or service » WestJet is moving to differentiate based on quality service ©David Mayes 37
38. ENGR 499, Engineering Capstone Project The Need for Competitive Advantage Environmental and Organizational Impact on Opportunity Assessment ©David Mayes 38
39. ENGR 499, Engineering Capstone Project The Need for Competitive Advantage Core Competencies and Assessing the Organization • Core Competencies • Value-creating organizational capabilities that are unique to a firm • Resources versus Capabilities • Resources are basic inputs that a firm uses to conduct business (capital, technology, equipment, employees, etc.) • intangible and tangible resources • Capabilities are the integration of several resources which are deployed together to the firm’s advantage. ©David Mayes 39
40. HMKNT 401, Introduction to Entrepreneurship The Need for Competitive Advantage Venture Feasibility Assessment Model • Stage 1: Back-of-the-Envelope concept – Potential customers, technology available, match to entrepreneur, financial feasibility » Decision: go or no go • Stage 2: Research and Verification – Detailed analysis of customers, competition, HR required, technical and financial feasibility » Decision: go or no go • Stage 3: Refine the Concept – Detailed business plan » Decision: go or no go ©David Mayes 40
41. ENGR 499, Engineering Capstone Project The Need for Competitive Advantage Taking the Plunge • A Precipitating Event An event, such as losing a job, that moves an individual to become an entrepreneur. Job termination Job dissatisfaction Unexpected opportunity ©David Mayes 41
42. ©David Mayes 42 Mullins, John. (2010) 3rd Edition. The New Business Road Test. Harlow, UK: Prentice Hall, Financial Times Suggested Reading:
43. Agenda • Engineer to Entrepreneur: • Common Business Misperceptions • What is Entrepreneurship? • The need for Competitive Advantage • UBC Library Resources • UBC Small Business Accelerator ENGR 499, Engineering Capstone Project, Winter 2013 Engineer to Entrepreneur ©David Mayes 43
45. UBC Library “Entrepreneurship” Resources UBC-O Library Resources: • UBC Library, Industry Research Resource Guide: http://guides.library.ubc.ca/new_enterprise_development#tabs-6 • UBC, additional Industry and Market Research Resources: http://toby.library.ubc.ca/subjects/subjpage2.cfm?id=660 ©David Mayes 45
46. Agenda • Engineer to Entrepreneur: • Common Business Misperceptions • What is Entrepreneurship? • Start-up and the need for Competitive Advantage • UBC Library Resources • UBC Small Business Accelerator ENGR 499, Engineering Capstone Project, Winter 2013 Engineer to Entrepreneur ©David Mayes 46
50. • entrepreneurship@ubc • http://www.entrepreneurship.ubc.ca/ • UBC Industry Liasion Office (UILO) • http://www.uilo.ubc.ca/pages/entrepreneurship/voucher Additional UBC Resources ©David Mayes 50

Smartphone Classroom Participation Startup Top Hat Monocle Strengthens Its Team

Toronto-based classroom education startup Top Hat Monocle takes a contrarian position on students’ smartphones. Rather than insist that they put them away, which we all know is a losing proposition, the company uses the devices to drive engagement and participation. Today, the company has beefed up its executive team, announcing the addition Ralf Riekers as its new Chief Financial Officer and Malgosia Green as its Chief Product Officer.

A couple of weeks ago I was asking myself about the current “clicker” classroom participation technology at UBC. Why did the university implement a proprietary technology with no other practical use, which cost students precious dollars? It was instantly obvious to me that the students already owned the devices needed to accomplish electronic classroom participation: their smartphones, tablets and laptops. Even more compelling for me, it could provide a way to reduce the classroom distractions caused by these devices. It turns out that the reason that the students devices were not being exploited for teaching and learning was fear of “the cloud,” privacy and where the data was being stored, which are legitimate concerns. It turned out that there is a Canadian company that has created an app that does everything I envisioned and solved all the privacy issues to the satisfaction of a number of educational institutions in British Columbia and across Canada. I am now a trial use of Top Hat Monocle and I am very impressed with it. I went so far as to introduce one of Top Hat’s marketing people to the UBC Vancouver IT expert on apps like this. It is my hope that Monocle can be a breakthrough application for classroom use.

Classroom participation startup Top Hat Monocle strengthens its team with addition of elite CFO and CPO (via Pando Daily)

Toronto-based classroom education startup Top Hat Monocle takes a contrarian position on students’ smartphones. Rather than insist that they put them away, which we all know is a losing proposition, the company uses the devices to drive engagement and participation. Today, the company has beefed up its executive team, announcing the addition Ralf Riekers as its new Chief Financial Officer and Malgosia Green as its Chief Product Officer.

Riekers was the first employee at marketing automation startup Eloqua, where he spent 12 years in areas including finance, operations, product deployment, and customer operations. Eloqua was recently acquired by oracle for $871 million four months after its IPO. At Top Hat, he will focus on improving the company’s back-end processes and managing relationships with the venture community.

Green founded India-based education marketing firm Savvica in 2007 to help students worldwide choose schools to match their needs, and before that was the director of product development for Affinity Labs. At Top Hat Monocle, she will take over the product road map and also promises to “aggressively market” the company’s products.

Top Hat Monocle offers allows students to respond in real-time to instructor questions and polls using their Web-enabled mobile devices. They can also use these second screens – assuming the teacher’s black board or projection screen is the first – to engage in interactive discussions, pose their own questions, download notes, and submit work, among other functions. The company’s products are used at over 250 universities worldwide.

Following an $8 million Series A financing in July from Emergence Capital Partners, iNovia Capital, SoftTech VC, Golden Venture Partners, and Version One Ventures, and the company raised a subsequent $1.1 million strategic round in January, bringing its total financing to $10.7 million. The Top Hat Monocle team has since explode from 20 to 80 employees in the last nine months. According to COO Andrew D’Souza, we should expect additional high profile hires in the near future, including specifically a VP engineering, VP sales, and VP marketing.

Ask any investor or experienced entrepreneur and they’re likely to tell you that success is dictated more by the team that is leading a company than by the idea or the market itself. Top Hat Monocle has the benefit of being in a space that is ripe for disruption, at a time when investors and educators are desperately seeking solutions. Today’s announcements should only strengthen the company’s ability to execute on this massive opportunity.

The Humble Thermostat: Another Strategic Web Battle

The Ecobee Smart Thermostat, fully Internet capable

For years thermostats have been ugly and downright stupid devices that sit neglected on our walls. But over the past 18 months the connected thermostat has morphed into a gadget that has been drawing the attention of some of the most cutting-edge software startups, which are looking to use it to connect with utilities and consumers.

Unbeknownst to many, a Canadian company in Ontario, Ecobee, has been at the forefront of the smart thermostat market for quite awhile. The Ecobee device is fully integrated with the Internet, and does all of the things you might expect an Internet connected thermostat to do, using your smart phone while away in Zanzibar to monitor your home. I quite like Ecobee. But it would be another Canadian innovation tragedy if Ecobee got run over in this growing global battle, as has happened with so many Canadian companies. I would be happier to see Ecobee begin acting like the global market player it is, attracting major capital and Big Dog strategic partners.

But the market has been heating up for some time and many major technology players and lots of big Silicon Valley money are now in the fray. A BC Hydro trial of advanced Smart Grid, solar heating, and Smart Meter (called Advanced Meter Initiative or AMI in BC) technologies has been going on quietly for some time on Vancouver Island. Another FortisBC trial is due to begin in the Okanagan sometime in the near future. Home energy management networks are set to grow from being in 2 percent of U.S. households in 2011 to 13 percent, or about 16.2 million households, by 2015.

Intel Intelligent Home Management Console, a reference design for OEM’s

Cisco Systems, General Electric, Google, Honeywell, Microsoft and Intel, along with a host of other companies are now focused on this home energy management market, developing new products and technologies that will be in our homes shortly. Siemens spin-off startup, EnOcean, and the EnOcean Alliance are also part of this complex market mix. EnOcean is the current leader in a related technology, “energy harvesting”, which will likely be one of the future major drivers in energy efficiency. Many home appliances are already “Internet ready.” This is obviously an area of major global corporate competition.

So take another look at that ugly thermostat on your wall. Things are about to change.

For the record, I am not impressed with all of the Luddite hype opposed to smart meters. One of BC’s environmental celebrities (not David Suzuki) is an opponent of wireless smart meters, citing anecdotal research on the health dangers of radio waves generally, but not on smart meters specifically. On the one hand, this person decries climate change deniers who refuse to accept science, while he simultaneously denies science on radio signal propagation. I follow this area of research fairly closely and have yet to see any convincing study that points to health problems with the radio signal propagation of smart meters. I am a follower of Nikola Tesla, the recently resurrected “father of electrical energy generation and distribution”, who endeavored to dispel superstitions about electricity. Unfortunately, many of those superstitions persist.

A Khosla Ventures-backed energy analytics startup called Bidgely is the latest to go after the next-gen smart thermostat, and it has told us that it has an agreement with thermostat maker Emerson to commercialize a thermostat in the coming months that syncs with Bidgely’s energy software. Bidgely’s algorithms can take home energy data and section out which appliances in the home are consuming what amount of power, without having extra hardware or sensors on each plug or appliance.

Consumers that can get that type of data can see, for example, if their pool pump is consuming too much energy in the winter time, or if their air conditioning unit is sucking down much more power than the average (see itemized bill). Utilities could offer such a smart thermostat to customers in their areas that want to be included in energy efficiency programs. Emerson’s thermostat wirelessly connects to smart meters or a home router with a Zigbee connection.

The deal between Emerson and Bidgely isn’t all that unique in the rapidly growing energy software sector. Emerson is also working with other software startups like EcoFactor, EnergyHub, and Calico Energy to have its thermostat sync with their software, too.

Next week at a major utility conference called Distributech, all of the energy software startups and large energy giants will be touting their smart, connected thermostats; including both new thermostat models and new services. The thermostat is a unique device. It’s an object that can provide demand response services for utilities, or the collective turning down of utility customers’ energy use during peak times (like a hot summer day in Texas). Software startups like EcoFactor can create algorithms that can do this, without making the climate of a home uncomfortable for the inhabitant.

The thermostat is also the latest device to become part of the growing world of the Internet of Things. In this always-on connected ecosystem, everything gets a connection, all devices are made smarter with software and data and these devices can make human lives easier, more interesting or more efficient.

Nest is one of the few that’s aggressively targeting consumers. Most of the energy startups are aiming for the utility market. One of the better known collaborations around a thermostat maker and an energy software company is between Opower and Honeywell. Honeywell is the giant in the thermostat maker market, and Opower is the leading energy software player.

Make sure to watch the buzz around smart thermostats and the entire market area defined by energy efficiency monitoring and management, in both commercial and home applications.

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In Focus posted October 8 2013

In Focus | David Mayes

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Engineer to Entrepreneur Presentation Transcript

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